Donna Frazier to serve second term on Hoover school board

Donna FrazierDonna Frazier's first five years on the Hoover school board were loaded with controversy, from the decision to allow MTV's "Two-a-Days" into Hoover High, to the hiring of a former federal judge to investigate grade changes for football play­ers and other aspects of the football pro­gram at Hoover High, to the dismissal of several key personnel, including former Superintendent Connie Williams.

"I feel like the next five years should be less stressful," Frazier said last week fol­lowing her appointment to a second term on the board.

The five members of the school board serve stag­gered five-year terms, so one seat opens every year. Board members are ap­pointed by the City Coun­cil. Service is unpaid.

Last week, the normally unified City Council voted 5-2 to reappoint Frazier, with council members Jack Wright and John Greene casting the dis­senting votes. There was no public dis­cussion of candidates before the vote.Frazier, who is now school board president, said the most pressing issue fac­ing the board is balancing its budget "without compro­mising the integrity of our school system or diminish­ing any of our past accom­plishments of academic ex­cellence, commitment to athletics and the arts."

Administrators are staff­ing now for the upcoming school year, and everyone understands the seriousness of the issue, she said. "I think everyone in the school system understands that there are some very difficult decisions that are going to have to be made, and some cuts are inevitable, but I think for the most part ev­eryone is extremely posi­tive."

In the long term, Frazier said she is interested in community outreach.

Hoover residents have a vested interest in the school system, whether or not they have children in the schools, she said. The school board has done a better job re­cently of seeking commu­nity input, she said, and she hopes that will continue.

"I feel strongly about the community that we serve having an avenue to voice their concerns, ask ques­tions, make comments," she said. "And comments don't always necessarily have to be from a negative stand­point. If there is something that is great and wonderful that is going on in your child's school and you want the board to know about it, then these board meetings, in the public participation section at the end of the agenda would be a great time for you to come to a meeting and share."

Councilman Gene Smith, who voted in favor of Fra­zier's reappointment, said she has been through tu­multuous times with the school board in recent years, and she has grown as a board member. "I think she's learned from that."

He said all the candidates were well-qualified, but Fra­zier's on-the-ground experi­ence puts her in a position to help the school system deal with its financial issues. Council President Gary Ivey agreed Frazier's famil­iarity with the school system "brings a lot to the table" and said she brought a lot of ideas to her interview.

Greene said his decision to vote no was based on Fra­zier's voting record. "There have been so many negative issues associated with the school board over the past five years that I would have liked to see someone new selected," he said. "I think it would have been beneficial to have a fresh mindset to help the school board move in a positive direction."

Wright declined to com­ment on why he voted no.

During her first term, Fra­zier, who runs her own inte­rior design business, said she racked up 96 hours of school board training, though attendance at school board conferences has been cut in recent years due to fi­nancial constraints. "We need to make sacrifices also," she said. "I think that those conferences are im­portant, but I also feel like, as school board members, we need to set an example."

Frazier, 50, has been involved in the Hoover school system for 19 years. "I have to have the service component in my life," she said.

Frazier said she would like to see the board con­tinue to develop its relation­ship with city leadership. "I think the community needs to see these entities working together as a team."